Pediatric Epilepsy

​The nationally prominent Lurie Children’s Division of Epilepsy boasts an extensive range of services, allowing it to provide the highest level care for children with various forms of epilepsy.

Each year we treat at least 2,200 children from around the country and the world, making us one of the busiest child epilepsy centers in the Midwest. Best known for helping infants with complex and hard-to-treat (refractory) epilepsy, our comprehensive epilepsy center offers advanced diagnostic testing including video EEG (video electroencephalography) for children of all ages. We perform about 2,000 video EEG studies a year.

The Division of Epilepsy is part of Lurie Children's Clinical Neurosciences, which is ranked 6th in the nation for child neurology and neurosurgery by U.S.News & World Report.

Experience

Our entire staff is dedicated to treating infants, children and teens. Our highly experienced doctors (called epileptologists) are board-certified in child neurology and specialize in epilepsy, and our nurse practitioners have completed advanced training in pediatrics.

The center’s neurosurgeons are experts in epilepsy surgery. More than 250 Lurie Children’s patients have had surgery to treat seizures with excellent outcomes.

In partnership with Northwestern University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Lurie Children's Epilepsy Division has been recognized as a Level 4 program by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). Our Level 4 designation means our high-quality specialized epilepsy care voluntarily meets all of the NAEC’s rigorous criteria. Learn more.

Approach

Our programs address the medical, behavioral and emotional concerns of children and their families to promote the best possible quality of life. Few epilepsy programs offer the level of support services available to patients at Lurie Children’s, which include:

Screening for conditions that can accompany childhood epilepsy, such as autism and learning disabilities

Adolescent transition program

These treatments and services are backed by high-quality science and clinical research. Our physician scientists have connections with researchers around the world, keeping them in touch with the latest advances in epilepsy.

Our education program, ketogenic diet support team and child psychiatrist are available to help your child and your family address the strain that epilepsy can put on your everyday life.

Make an Appointment

If you’d like to request an appointment with one of our specialists, call 1.800.543.7362 (1.800.KIDS DOC®). You can also re​quest an appointment online.

Philanthropy

Private giving has helped lay the foundation for a thriving research program and has allowed us to develop an unmatched array of comprehensive support services. Gifts also allow us to recruit and hire talented health care professionals and help us train tomorrow’s specialists through the Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship Program.

Your support is vital in helping us continue to make a difference in the lives of patients and families. Lurie Children’s relies on philanthropic funding to enhance its programs, services and research for children. To learn more, please contact Lurie Children’s Foundation at foundation@luriechildrens.org, call 312.227.7500 or make a gift today. ​​

New Epilepsy Research Center to Advance Treatments

Epilepsy specialists from Lurie Children’s are collaborating with adult researchers in epilepsy and other disciplines through the new epilepsy research center launched by Northwestern Medicine’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience.

The new epilepsy research center will initially focus on Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that begins in infancy and often does not respond well to therapy.

​Recognized as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center

In partnership with Northwestern University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Lurie Children's Epilepsy Center was recognized as a Level 4 program by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) for the third year in a row.

​Transitioning to Home Care

Almost Home Kids (AHK), now part of the Lurie Children’s family, cares for children with complicated health needs by providing family training, respite care and short-term transitional care in a home-like setting. AHK is staffed with medical professionals and volunteers to make sure every child and their families are prepared for the return home. The Division of Epilepsy works closely with Almost Home Kids to make the care transition process as easy as possible.